Garage or other building



Get. 23, 1923; 1,47%(0311 S. C. LANCASTER ET AL GARAGE OR OTHER BUILDING Filed Feb. 12, 1921 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 wuc T 1 07/ 5am LL61, Clancasfer; Christian 0. f/jcrmstaol,

Get. 23, 1923.

s. c. LANCASTER ET AL GARAGE OR OTHER BUILDING Filed Feb. 12, 1921 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 iw a.

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@ct. 23,1923. i L472,351i

s. c. LANCASTER ET AL Samuel Clancasfe r Ulzrz'slian 0. JE/je rmstzui Patented (Get. as, was.

UNHTEID) snares Y iaiaes PATIENT cannon SAMUEL LANCASTER. AND CHRISTIAN 0. HJ'ERMSTAID, OF PORTLAND, OREGON,

ASSIGNORS, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, T0 AUTOWHIRL CORPORATION OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

GARAGE ORO'I'HER BUILDING.

Application filed February 12, 1921. Serial No. 444,562.

To all whom it may concern- Be it known that we. SAMUEL C. LAN- cas'rnn and nms'rmx O. HJERMSTAD, citizens of the United States, residing at Portland, in ;tlfe county of ll'lultnomah and State of Oregon, have invented a new and useful Garage or Other Building, of which the following is a specification.

In certain types of buildings shown in the prior art for the storage of motor vehicles, there are provided two separate and necessarily independent driveways or traflic areas, one provided for incoming trallic and the other for outgoing traflic. Each of these independent driveways, in order to effect the necessary economy in space, is only of sufficient width to afford clearances for a single line of vehicles and, because they are. of opposite pitch, they intersect each other at one point in each'turn. Consequently, traffic from one driveway 'to the other can only be, efiectedat these restricted intersecting points, While at allother parts, the drive ways must be separated by traflic-blocking curves orpartitions, in order to prevent possihility of vehicle wrecking. Adjacent, or

flanking, one -of the driveways of this structure] 'is aseries of "tangentially arranged storage stalls which, in order to prevent gravity-discharge of the vehicles, have their floors horizontal and consequently at successive elevations around the helix of'the' driveway, thereby preventing 't-rafiic acrossand from one storage space to another. r

It is alsoapparent that, in ord rout of. the building, each vehicle must be backed out of its stall and then driven forr. wardly and up. the incoming drive-wayuntil the next point of intersection of incoming and outgoingdriveways is reached, whereupon the vehicle passes, without reversal of driving direction, to the outgoing driveway of opposite pitch. i

The arrangement above described is both wasteful of available area and is also lacking in etliciency in the matter of time re.- quired to handle the vehicles.

The object of our invention is to producea building so constructed as tofacilitate the handling and storage of motor vehicles under conditions whichwill closely approximate ordinary street-traffic, so that the average driver may drive his car, to and from itsstorage space, with safety both to his own car and the cars of others.

The accompanying drawings illustrate our invention.

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary sectional perspec tive of a building embodyingour invention;

Fig. 2 a perspective diagram of one'complete turn of the helical floor;

Fig. 3 a plan of a modification and Fig. at an elevation of Fig. 3.

Considering the application of our invention to the handling and storage of motor vehicles, we call attention to the fact that,

from an investment viewpoint, it is desirable that a maximum area within the bui lding be available for storage and a. minimum area be devoted solely to traffic, footways, and necessary utilities, suclr-as passenger elevators, etc. i

of such character that incoming and outgoing tra'flic may be carried on simultaneously without trafiic-blocking interference, andthat'ent-ry to and exit from the storage areas be readily accomplished. It is also highlydesirable that the storage area, when unoccupied as such, shall be available as part of the tra-tlic area.

In order to accomplish the desirable results -mentioned above, the storage area and traflic' area must not only be carefully proportioned, but correlated and be capable of substantially indefinite extension, irres'pcctive of the ground area which may be .availbeing suflicient -to provide .an easy and safe driving grade, which, prefe'rably,'should be low enough to enable the average car and driver to negotiate. it at high-gear. A cer tain portio of the floor'at the axis'of the helix would, ofcourse, be unavailablefor vehicle traiiicbccause within the turning ra-' dius of vehicles, and this area is utilized, in

the present instance, for all-elevator 12 and a foot ramp or stairwav13. If

On the other hand, 'fronra; trafiic viewpoint the trafl'ic area should be part 13 is formed as a ramp, it will, of course. be hart of the helix 11. Immediately adjacent the walls the helix 11 affords storage'area for vehicles, indicated by the dotted rectangles 14, and this area is, whenrnot occupied by storage vehicles, available as a traffic area, supplementing the primary traffic area to bedescribed. Between the storage area and the area 13 is an area 15 sufficiently Wide to permit two lines of traffic with sufficient clearances, not only between the traffic lines, but also adjacent the stored vehicles and adjacent area 13.. Area 13 is 1;)referablyseparated from trafiic area 15 by partition 16 having doorway 17 at desirable points which, it will be understood, may be located at any point. The traflicarea 15 is of such character-that vehicles may traverse it laterally or diagonally as well as longitudinally, se that velncles may pass easily into and from the storage area without being confined to the minimum width which would be sufficient to permit longitudinal traffic. By thus correlating and proportioning the storage and traffic areasvthe width of area 15 may be made much less than would be required if separate and independent incomingand outgoing traffic areas were provided, as in certain structures of the prior art, and consequently, a relatively reater area is available for store e area, an the earning power of the bail ing is thus increased without diminishing the rapidity with which the building may be charged and evacuated. A vacated storage area is. also available for traffic, which feature is of very decided importance, especially during the rush hours. It will be readil understood that there will be limited perio 5 during each day when practically all of the traffic will be in one direction or the other; With our construction, the entire width of the tramc and storage area is available to infiowing traffic, the cars being parked in succession in the storage areas, beginning at the top. When the period of maximumoutflow arrives, the outflow will begin at the bottom and the vacated storage area will become available as traffic area for the evacuation of the building.

If the floor 11 is a true helix, it is ap arent that near two opposite corners of the uilding, when itis rectangular so as to afford,

maximum storage area, the vehicles at X X will bear such relation to the grade that they might, under gravity move out from the' distorted from the helix so as to be laterally horizontal and longitudinally pitched to connect adjacent platforms or spaces 18, connecting throughout their length with the helix 15 approximately on lines 20, so that the vehicles may readily pass between .the traffic and storage areas.

It will, of course, be understood that the particular correlation of traffic and storage areas shown in the drawings is not the only one that can be made with advantage, as that depends somewhat upon the dimensions of ground available for a building. The common traffic areas available for simultaneous double traffic and necessary cross traffic for ingress to and egressfrom the storage area must, however, flank the storage area.

As indicated at 21, areas will be available for short storage, and at 22 small cars may be stored without seriously impeding traffic. (ltcourse, the corner areas will be more availabl for comparative dead storage, than for the more live storage which may occupy the freer areas.

The term helix is herein used in its broadest sense and not limited to a true helix.

It will become apparent that. in view of the minimum space which is required to provide a double-stream traffic area and a flanking storage area over which traffic may pass. as has been described, the minimum width of floor which can be utilized for the purpose will considerably exceed that which 'can be formed efficiently in a single span and consequently the intermediate supports for the fioormust be so placed as not to materially impede traffic either in. the primary traffic area 15 or in the storage area.

We have found that present-day motor vehiclesare so averagely proportioned that a floor area of approximately 115 feet square is the minimum for maximum efficiency, and that by placing the intermediate columns in a helical. series between the traffic and storage areas, or just within the traffic area. as indicated in Fig. 3, an entirely free and unobstructed primary traffic area 15 is afforded;the columns30 do not decrease the storage capacity of the storage area; and, being laced substantially an average vehicleength from the external walls, the space between the walls and columns affords ample traffic width for the free circulation of vehicles and the vehicles may freely circulate between the columns. This is important in order that the storage area, when not occupied, may afford a substantially unobstructed trafiic area.

We claim as our invention 1. A building comprising a multi-turn helical floor forming ah'elical storage area having a width slightly greater than automobile length and a iianking helical traffic area providing for two lines of longitudinal traffic with freedom for lateral trafiic for both lines of traffic at all points throughout its length, and a helical series of separated columns interposed betwen successive turns 1 ,avapai over the'storage area between the columns and between the columns and the walls.

2. A building comprising a multi-turn heiical floor forming a helical storage area having a width slightl v greater than automobile length, alongw iich traffic may flow when not used for storage, and a flanking helical traflic area roviding for two lines of longitudinal tra c with freedom for lateral trafiic for both lines' of trafiic at all points throughout its length, and a helical series of separated columns. interposed between successive turns of the" helixbetween the traflic area and storage area and so as not to prevent trafiic over the storage area and between the columns.

A building having corner areas and comprising a multi-turn helical floor formin a helical storage area and a flanking he ical traflic area providing for two lines'of longitudinal traffic with. freedom for lateral traffic, the storage area being distorted from but merging into the traflic area, to form a helical series of substantially level areas at the corners of the building and substantially laterally-level ramps connecting the vcorner areas.

4. A building comprising a multi-turn helical floor, the successive turns of said helix being supported by a series of separated columns so arrange as to provide a storage area unobstructed to trafiic and to rovide two trafiic paths unobstructed to tra cfsaid' trafiie paths and storage area merging and being unobstructed to trailic to permit of a free lateral mac across said longitudinal trailic paths and into-the storage area.

5. A building comprising a multi-turn l1elical floor, said helical floor being unobstructed to trafiic throughout its entire length both laterally and longitudinally, said helical floor thereby having formed throughout its length a helical storage area and a flanking helical trafiic area providing for two lines of longitudinal traffic with freedom for lateral trailic throughout its length.

6. A building comprising a inulti-turn, helical floor forming a conjoint trafiic and storage area and providing two undivided traffic paths, said; trafiic paths and conjoint traffic and storage area merging to permit of free lateral trafiic across said trafiic paths and into said conjoint traffic and storage area. I

In witness whereof we have hereunto set our hands at Chicago Illinois.

SAMUEL c. LANcAsTEa. CHRISTIAN O. HJERMSTAlDh 

